Connection for electric conductors



A. G. KARKAU.

CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1917.

L42Q846, Patented June 27, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

ALBERT G. KARKAU, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE K-W IGNITION COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC CON DUCTORS.

Application filed July 12,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT G. KARKAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Connections for Electric Conductors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to connections or connectors for electric conductors and has for its chief object to provide a connection which binds or fastens the two conductors together so securely that they cannot be pulled apart either accidentally or purposely by pull or tension exerted on the conductors.

A further object is to accomplish the above result with aconnection which forms an exceedingly good electrical as well as mechanical jolnt and which is neat in appearance, not difficult or expensive to manufacture, and easily assembled or dis-assembled.

Although the invention is not limited in its field of use but may be used for a variety of different purposes, it has particular .utility in connection with ignition apparatus such as for connecting flexible conductors to distributor terminals and for use also with other apparatus having conductors which from the standpoints of safety, efiiciency and reliability must be securely connected to gether, but at the same time capable of being readily disconnected when circumstances require it. p

The invention may be briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described 1n the specification and set forth in the a pended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein I have shown the best form of my invention now known to me, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the connection embodying my invention; Flg. 2 is a transverse sectional view substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Flg. 3 is a detached view of one of the conductors Specification-of Letters Patent. Patented June 27, 1 922.

1917. Serial No. 180,058.

Fig. 6, looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

The two conductors which are to be connected together are shown at 10 and 11 respectively, the latter being a flexible .conductor and the former a non-flexible conductor. The conductor 10 may be a terminal of the distributor of ignition apparatus, although as before stated, the invention is not limited to this form of apparatus although it has utility when used with the same. The conductor 10 has at one end a contact 12 which may be a distributor contact, and this contact and the major portion of the conductor 10 are embedded in an insulating body 13 having a flat face or shoulder 13*, through, or beyond which a portion of the conductor 10 extends.

The portion of the conductor extending beyond this shoulder is in the form of a flattened shank 10 having an opening 10 through which a bare or insulated portion of the flexible conductor 11 is looped in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1.

This flattened shank 1O accommodates a nut 14 having a centrally disposed elongated opening 1 1 corresponding to the shape of the shank but somewhat larger than the latter so that the nut is free to slide on the shank but cannot turn relative thereto. This nut is also preferably dished as shown at 14 to accommodate the portion of the conductor 11 which extends through the opening 10 of the shank.

In addition to the parts above described. the connection includes a sleeve 15 of hard insulating material and having a central bore or opening sufficiently large to receive freely the conductor 11. This sleeve is provided at its inner end with an internally threaded-portion adapted to accommodate or receive threads of thenut 14. These threads may be cut directly into the insulating material forming the sleeve 15, or they may be cut in a metal insert as here shown. the insert being in the form of an internally threaded bushing 16. thoroughly embedded in the sleeve,15 so that it will not. turn relative thereto. If necessary. the sleeve and bushing may be interlocked to prevent relative turning movement. and to that end the bushing has on its periphery outwardly projecting lugs 16'. These lugs may not. be necessary, however.

In assembling the parts the nut is slid onto the shank of the conductor 10 and then the end of the flexible conductor 11 is extended through the opening 1.0 of the conductor 10, thefree end being preferably bent back to form a; well defined loop substantially as shown" in Fig. 1. The sleeve 15 which was slid onto the conductor 11 before the latter was looped through the opening 10, is now slipped down to cover the joint, and when it engages the nut it is rotated, causing the nut to travel along the shank until it engages the looped portion of the conductor 11, and when the inner end of the sleeve engages the shoulder 13 and is still being turned, the nut is caused to grip the looped part of the conductor 11 exceedingly tightly. lVhen the sleeve is screwed tight against the shoulder l3 the looped part of the conductor 11 is held so tightly between the nut and the perforated end of the shank 10 that it is impossible to pull it loose by any pull short of that which breaks the conductor. On the other hand, when it is desired to disconnect the conductors, all that is necessary is to unscrew the sleeve, whereupon the nut will slide back freely and permit the flexible conductor to be pulled out of the opening of the conductor 10.

It will be seen that with this construction, the objects previously mentioned are attained.

lVhile I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, certain changes can be made in the details .without departing from the spirit and scope .of my invention in its broadest aspects.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination in an electrical connection, a pair of conductors in substantial alignment having portions adapted to be clamped together, an inner clamping member non-rotatively slidable along one of the conductors, an outer sleeve surrounding the engaging portions of the conductors and having a threaded engagement with said inner clamping member, said sleeve serving when rotated in one direction to shift said inner clamping member to cause clamping engagelnent between said portions of the conductors, and means to limit the longitudinal movement of said sleeve with respect to said conductors when said sleeve is so rotated.

2. In combination in an electrical connection, a pair of conductors having portions adapted to be clamped together and one having a straight shank, a threaded member slidable along said shank but held from 1'0- tation thereon, a sleeve having an internally threaded portion engaging said member and rotatable in one direction to shift said member in a direction to clamp said portions of the conductors together, and means to limit the longitudinal movement of said sleeve with respect to said conductors when said sleeve is so rotated.

3. In combination in an electrical connection, a pair of conductors having portions adapted to be clamped together and one having a straight shank, a threaded member slidable along said shank but held from rotation thereon, a sleeve having an internally threaded portion engaging said member and rotatable in one'direction to shift said member in a direction to clamp said portions of the conductors together, and a shoulder against which one end of the sleeve is adapted to abut, said shoulder being arranged to limit the longitudinal movement of the sleeve relatively to the conductors.

4. In combination in an electrical connection, a pair of conductors one having a shank and an opening through which the other is adapted to be looped, a shoulder at the base of the shank, a sleeve surrounding the connection and adapted to be moved up against said shoulder, and an inner clamping member non-rotatively mounted on the shank and having a connection with said sleeve and movable along said shank into clamping engagement with one conductor by means of the movement of the sleeve against said shoulder.

5. In combination in an electrical connection, a pair of conductors one having a shank and an opening through which the other is adapted to be looped, a shoulder at the base of the shank, a threaded member non-rotatively slidable on said shank between the shoulder and the opening, and a sleeve movable over the joint between the conductors and having an internally threaded portion adapted to engage said member, said sleeve adapted to engage said shoulder and being tightened against said shoulder when said member is firmly clamped against the conductor looped through said opening.

6. In combination an insulating body, a conductor projecting through said body beyond .the same, the projecting portion having a flattened shank and an opening, a second conductor adapted to be looped through said opening, a threaded member slidable along said shank between the opening and said 7 body and held from rotation on the shank, the ortion of the last named conductor exand an insulating sleeve adapted to surround tending through said opening. 10 the joint between the conductors and having In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my an internally threaded part which engages signature.

said member, said sleeve when turned in one I ALBERT G. KABKAU. direction into engagement with said body Witnesses: causing said member to travel in the reverse J. A. WILLIAMS,

direction into clamping engagement with A. F. WILLIAMS. 

